Betrayal: Everyone Dies
by MorbidLeaf
Summary: The one who will bring an end to this hundred year war is one who will find and befriend all the bijuu, and together they will defeat the most powerful eyes in existence, only to be betrayed by himself! War will rage as two powerful beings grow, the most gruesome fighting the world will ever know. For peace will flourish once everybody dies! Warning: will be very dark
1. Prologue

I don't own shit

Prologue:

' _The shinobi world is one of countless horrors and brutal deaths, nobody is safe from the Shinigami's cold embrace,'_ Uzumaki Mito thought as she looked on at the festivities transpiring before her. She sat at the end of a long table, garbed in a simple yet regal looking pale red kimono.

A soft smile spread across her lips, ' _it's been too long since we've been able to celebrate like this, hasn't it, Tobirama,'_ the elderly woman thought, in a silent prayer to her late husband. It was true, it had been a long while since the people of Uzugakure had reason to celebrate; even her wedding, which solidified the alliance between the Uzumaki and the Senju, had been a somber affair. ' _You were always quite the stoic, but even then I could see the pain in your eyes.'_

 _Cling cling cling!_

Mito was brought out of her musings by the sound of a clinking glass held by the young Namikaze heir.

"It is an honor to be among all of you here today," the spiky haired blond said with a warm smile. "I couldn't be happier to be here, in the great village of Uzugakure, with you all, and of course my beautiful bride Kushina!" The blond turned his cerulean eyes to gaze once more at the fiery redhead to his left. "I truly feel like the luckiest man in the world..." Minato trailed off, his expression losing some of its warmth as his gaze shifted to the floor. "But many of us, Uzumaki, Senju, and Namikaze alike, are unable to be here today..."

The jovial expressions on the guests faces quickly mirrored Minato's, all bowing their heads in a moment of silence for their fallen brethren.

"But tomorrow the sun will rise again, and with it a new alliance!" Minato said, after the drawn out mourning for the dead. "One hundred years of war will come to an end, and we will usher forth an era of peace!" Those words have been heard before, though they usually fell on deaf ears.

In the crowd Minato could see a sea of mixed emotions. The few who have made it to old age looked up at the young heir with what could only be described as pity. They had lived a long time, almost every moment of which death loomed close by. The not so old veterans were a different story, however. Many of them wore an expression of hate, infuriated by the thought of ever extending the olive branch of peace to those who had scorned them, though most appeared weary of war, ready to make further concessions to ease the suffering for future generations. It was the eyes of the still youthful, however, that inspired hope. Not yet so broken were they that they has given up. Not so hardened that they were unwilling to make amends. Not so stubborn that they would continue fighting to the last man simply to spite fate itself.

Kushina glanced down the table towards her great grandmother Mito expecting to see the trademark Uzumaki fury at the thought of peace towards those who has taken her husband from her. The young Uzumaki-Senju heiress was surprised to see a warm smile painted on the no longer red headed woman's lips.

' _He reminds me of you, Tobirama,'_ Mito thought, looking at the young man standing down the table. ' _Not so much in looks. Nor in personality... but in his presence.'_ True that Minato and Tobirama were a far cry from twins, both when it came to looks and personality; Minato being the warm and kind blond maverick, while Tobirama was known for his cold piercing gaze and oddly feral yet refined looks, both had in inexplicable aura about them. Both stood tall and strong, inspiring confidence in those around them, ' _though not without ruffling more than a few feathers,'_ Mito thought with an audible chuckle that caught both Minato and Kushina's attention.

Both the bride and groom shared a small smile at this. "Well that's about all I have to say," Minato said sheepishly, eager to retreat to the company of his new wife. "Please, eat, drink, dance to your heart's content!" Minato chirped, quickly plopping back down by Kushina's side. "So how'd I do?" He asked, clearly wishing to be praised.

Kushina let out a small giggle at his boyish charm, leaning in and planting a peck on his unsuspecting lips. "I had no idea I'd be marrying such an accomplished wordsmith," she teased, lacing her fingers with his own. "You did great!" she chirped, receiving a bright smile from the Namikaze.

"Ahem, I hope I'm not interrupting," Mito said, placing a hand on each of the pairs shoulders.

"Not at all Mito-sama!" Minato said quick to stand and offer the Uzumaki elder a bow.

"Good, because I would like to have a word with the two of you in private if you can spare the time," the old woman said in a way only a kindly old woman could. It was not so much a request as it was an order, something that didn't get past the pair of newlyweds as they stood to follow Mito to her chambers.

As they entered the bedroom of one Uzumaki Mito the pair noticed the old woman drop her regal facade, finally able to see how old and tired the woman truly was.

"Come, sit," Mito said as she herself lowered herself onto the bed.

Kushina took a seat on the bed by the side of her great grandmother, while Minato repositioned and took a seat in the soft rocking chair on the side of the bed. Truth be told the chair was probably the most comfortable thing Minato had ever sat in, seeming to ease every bit of built up tension and aches his body had accumulated over the years.

"Seals, my boy," Mito said simply, noticing the immediate relaxation of Minato's features. "As you know, we Uzumaki are quite adept at the sealing arts," she explained. "I developed those seals early on in my decline into old age. They're designed to relax your muscles and soothe your aching joints."

Kushina helped her great grandmother lay down on the soft feather mattress, positioning the pillows to allow Mito to sit up comfortably. "You're an angel, Kushina-chan. You always have been. Despite the horrible things that have happened in your lifetime..." Mito seemed to melt into the comfort of her bed, closing her eyes and sinking into its warm comfort. "It's a shame I'm the only family that could make it to your wedding... and an even greater shame I won't be able to watch your new family grow..."

"What do you mean Baa-chan?" Kushina asked, comforting tone only barely masking the worry in her voice.

"My dear Kushina-chan... I am old... Much older than I'd ever thought the Shinigami would allow me to become. I have lived my entire life in this war, and now all those who lived in my time have passed." Mito's eyes opened slightly, reaching out to hold her only living descendents hand. "It's a blessing and a curse, your Uzumaki blood. You live to see all the happy moments, only to have it taken from you by fate's cruel hand," there was no malice in those words as she continued. "Minato-chan, I have no doubt you will become a great man, much like my late husband and his brother once were... they too spoke of peace, though Hashirama was much louder about it," she said with a chuckle.

Minato was startled to hear the one who became known as 'Queen of the Whirlpools' compare him to two of the most legendary shinobi in history, and nearly as strange to hear someone speak of them with such familiarity.

"Time has a way of warping the truth of the past... I am sure you both know the stories of my time... the world wasn't always this bad." the elderly woman let out a sigh. "I feel like an old woman about to ramble on with one of her old stories, but here I go..."

"There is only one way for us to show each other our guts now, Hashirama," Madara growled. He lay at the feet of the only man who had ever bested him in a once heavily forested, now baren valley created during their just now finished battle. "Kill your brother, or kill yourself now. That is the only way."

Shock spread across the faces of the two Senju brothers.

"Only then we'll be even. I'd be willing to trust your clan! Now Kill your brother or kill yourself!" Madara roared.

"You dare s-" Tobirama's outburst was cut short by Hashirama's palicating hand.

"I agree." Hashirama said, Madara looking up at him with an unreadable expression. "Thank you, Madara. You really are kind hearted." Hashirama removed his armor. "After my death do not kill Madara," Hashirama said, his attention directed at his white haired brother. "I forbid any fighting between the Senju and the Uchiha. Swear this right now... upon the lives of your fathers and your children and your grandchildren. Madara has given me a choice," the legendary Senju slowly removed a kunai. "To kill myself or my brother. He knows all too well the pain of losing ones younger brother." Hashirama raised the kunai, gleaming in the bright afternoon sun. "Hear this, Tobirama. Etch these words into your heart, the words I will be exchanging my life upon... Farewell." With a warm smile on his face Senju Hashirama plunged the gleaming kunai deep into his solar plexus, severing his aorta in one swift motion.

Time stood still. The white haired Senju looked on in shock as a trickle of blood slipped through his elder brothers lips. The trickle soon became a waterfall with Hashirama soon falling to his knees, then flat on his face. The pool of blood growing larger with every silent second that slipped by.

Tobirama seemed to lose his will to stand, falling straight down on his haunches, looking on at the horror before him.

"We will meet again, Tobirama," a smug, voice purred victoriously. There stood Madara, smug grin plastered on his face. "I won't kill you today," Madara said, turning his eyes down towards the fallen Senju. He at least had the decency to wipe the victorious smirk off his face as he did so, "out of respect for the dead." Madara turned his back to the Senju and began to walk away only stopping to glance at the furious look in Tobirama's eyes.

Before the surviving brother could pounce the Eternal Mangekyou Sharingan flared to life within the Uchiha's sockets.

In an instant Tobirama laid prone in his brothers pool of blood, unconscious.

It was a week until Tobirama fully recovered. They had sent his last brother to the Shinigami in a pyre of flames. Tobirama's eyes wandered over the faces of his clansmen, Madara's final words to him echoing in his mind.

' _Whether it be tomorrow or a hundred years from now. The Senju clan is dead.'_

Those words from within the world of Tsukuyomi repeated in Tobirama's mind, long enough to drive him mad. But he couldn't afford to lose himself. Not now. With Hashirama gone he was now the head of the Senju clan, and his comrades depended on him now more than ever.

It was true. Without Hashirama, no one could stand up to Madara's might, especially with the entirety of the Uchiha clan no doubt fully backing him again. They needed allies. Powerful allies. But first, they needed to get the fuck out of there.

The Senju's flight from their ancestral home within the forests was nothing short of treacherous. The Uchiha tormented them every step of the way, ambushing them around every corner. Tobirama has to adapt.

While the Uchiha, and so many other clans were known for their respective bloodlines or secret techniques, the Senju had no such ace up their sleeves. Their renown was derived from individual talent. Tobirama took advantage of this, splitting the clan up into four man cells, sending them out as distractions, or as shock troops. The idea was to hit large groups of enemies hard, hit them fast, and get the fuck out of there. Gone were the days of large head on battles. Enter the age of stealth. The age of the Ninja.

After months of Tobirama's new tactics being implemented, the Senju clan has finally made it far enough east that the Uchiha no longer saw it possible to continue their pursuit. Not yet at least. They needed to regroup and begin planning accordingly. Tobirama breathed a short sigh of relief, his plan has worked. Speed. Speed was the answer. At least for now.

The gears in his head visibly turned as he and the vanguard walked further east through unfamiliar forests. Then he felt it. Tobirama reached out with his senses, trying to locate his scouting party, only to find faint traces of their chakra miles ahead.

The white haired Senju went wide eyed at what he felt. His clan was measurably smaller than it had been only mere months before. They were haggard and weary, unprepared for this both physically and mentally.

As he sensed it, so too did it sense him.

"Kota!" Tobirama called to his second-in-command. "Lead the vanguard North." He said curtly, "try to find Uzugakure. The Uzumaki have always been friends to the Senju. If I do not return, do not come after me."

The older Senju known as Kota looked at the clan head in confusion, but having enough faith in the younger man's judgement carried on the order without question. "Yes, Tobirama-sama!"

As the muttering vanguard began heading north, all confused as to what their leader was so suddenly worked up about, Tobirama headed east.

Some of the younger Senju, eager to prove themselves to their leader, moved to follow. That is until a spine chilling roar was heard in the distance.

Tobirama suddenly came to a halt at the edge of a clearing, his eyes widening at the sight before him. "Kyuubi..." he whispered in awe, taking in the sight of the greatest of the biju thrashing in a fearsome rage.

" **How dare you disturb me!"** the great fox snarled, locking eyes with the clan head. " **SPEAK, HUMAN!"**

"K-Kyuubi-sama!" Tobirama stuttered out. "Y-yes, I sincerely apologize for whatever actions my subordinates may have taken against you!"

" **Your subordinates..."** the biju's snarl slowly morphed into a twisted grin, " **tasted awful!"**

Tobirama's eyes hardened at this. "You ate my family..." he growled through gritted teeth. "And you DARE boast about it!"

The fox's grin widened as Tobirama flashed through hand seals, only for a sweet voice to break the tension between the two.

"What seems to be the problem, Kurama-sama?" the voice asked from behind Tobirama.

The white haired Shinobi's eyes widened in surprise as he spun on his heel to come face to face with the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen.

" **Damn woman! Get out of my sight!"** the Kyuubi spat. " **I've told you time and time again that if you disturb me I'M GOING TO EAT YOU!"**

"Yet you never have, Kurama-sama," the red headed woman said with a sweet smile.

" **Just because I took a liking to you as a child doesn't mean I can't change my mind,"** Kurama grumbled, somewhat less hateful than before. " **Besides, this shrimps subordinates have made me so** _ **hungry.**_ "

Tobirama was about to react to the taunt, the biju's attitude reminding him so much of a certain Uchiha, but was quickly stopped by a swift slap to the face, courtesy of the beautiful redhead. "Now why would you do that? What were you thinking, provoking the most powerful being in existence?!" she scolded, as if she were a mother scolding a toddler. "I deeply apologize for our guests rudeness, Kurama-sama," she said with a deep bow, "I assure you, such deeds will not go overlooked!"

The great fox took a moment to ponder this. Of course he knew Mito was lying to protect the runt, but he was actually quite fond of the Uzumaki woman. " **Very well. Just get this whelp out of my sight!"** Kurama said with finality, laying down in the clearing, resting his head on a pair of crossed paws.

"And that is how I came to meet your great grandfather, Kushina-chan," Mito's eyes gleaming as she recalled the fond memory.

Kushina smiled at that. She'd heard the story countless times, the tale was practically legend among the now intertwined clans. Minato, however, was not a Senju or and Uzumaki, therefore the story had him slack jawed. Seeing this both Kushina and Mito shared a laugh at the Namikaze's stake.

"We lived together in this very house for many peaceful years while the clan wars continued to rage outside our lands." Mito continued. "The Uchiha only grew stronger, subjugating other clans, or simply wiping them out entirely. Tobirama couldn't stand to hear of it when news reached our walls, until one day word came that Madara himself had set his eyes on Kurama, in the literal sense no less, and with the great biju in tow he was marching to Uzugakure to make good on a promise he'd made years ago."

The rest was a legend that everyone in this world had heard countless times, most likely exaggerated with each telling until it became common practice to end with, "and then, Senju Tobirama, to avenge his brothers death and protect all those precious to him, summoned the Shinigami himself and sacrificed his life to seal away Madara's eyes."

"That's exactly what happened," Mito confirmed, causing Minato to go pale at the thought of it. "Kurama was so enraged at being controlled, upon his release from the Sharingan's genjutsu he swallowed the blind Madara whole and vowed to kill any human he ever saw again, save the descendants of myself and Tobirama, of course." She finished with a smile.

Minato turned to Kushina, "you mean yo-"

"Oh! No," Kushina waved him off. "Kurama-sama went into hiding after that and nobody has seen or heard from him since... Actually, nobody has seen or heard from any of the biju since, either that or anyone who has is dead or keeping it very hush hush."

"And that... Is why I brought you here," Mito said, suddenly looking exhausted. "I had a vision." The old woman's voice suddenly changed from sweet to ominous and raspy, "The one who will bring an end to this hundred year war is coming. The child of prophecy will find and befriend all the biju, and together they will defeat he with the most powerful eyes. Thrice betrayed: first by a lover, second by a friend, only for doom to befall him when betrayed by himself! Devastation is to come and doom awaits us all. For peace will flourish once everybody dies."

As the ancient Uzumaki drew her last breath, greeting the Shinigami at last, Kushina's hands moved over her belly, the ominous prophecy forever burned in her mind.

XXX END PROLOGUE XXX

So this fic is obviously placed in a world where Hashirama did actually kill himself, so the village system was never established, the biju were never sealed into jinjuriki, and the clan wars never ended.


	2. Chapter 1

Hey, so first upload of this chapter came out all fucked up. I want to sincerely thank all of you who brought it to my attention in the reviews or in PM's. Not an excuse but my microsoft office subscription ran out and I'm poor so instead of buying it again I downloaded a free word processor and I guess it's not compatible with the site. So Google Doc's it is!

Again, I apologize, hopefully this won't happen again.

Anyways, I don't own Naruto.

Chapter 1:

"NARUTO!" Kushina shouted, her crimson locks inexplicably standing on end. ' _That son of mine,'_ the redhead thought, shaking her head and pinching the bridge of her nose. She'd hoped his mischievous streak would come to an end once his shinobi training began. It seems as if that were too much to hope for, the notorious prankster was a menace to the inhabitants of Uzugakure. She had to admit, though, the 8 year old firecracker had truly outdone himself this time.

"What is it, Kaa-chan?" The tiny blond asked, looking up at his mother innocently.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'WHAT IS IT?'" Kushina shouted, flames appearing instead of iris's.

Naruto, literally shaking in fear of his mother's wrath, turned his head to gaze his latest masterpiece. Before him lay a mountain of women's undergarments. Literally every pair within the village, somehow including the the garments each and every Uzumaki, Senju and Namikaze woman had been wearing.

Too add on to his mother's ire Naruto felt a powerful, sinister, aura surrounding him.

"Is that my? IS THAT MY TRAINING BRA!?" The shriek of a young girl, no younger than Naruto himself, rang out. "How the... How the FUCK DID YO- NARUTO, I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL YOU!"

Naruto's eyes nearly bugged out of his skull at the sound. Naruto slowly turned around to see sea of red faces and murderous eyes, his cerulean orbs locking on to the source of the shrill outburst. "Oh... Hey Karin..." he squeaked.

"NARUTO!" the glasses clad girl dashed forward, faster than the legendary Hirashin, shin colliding with the blond's manhood launching the boy no less that a hundred feet in the air.

"AHHHHHHHHHHH!" was the only thing Minato heard before a yellow cannonball came crashing through his office ceiling, creating a cloud of dust and rubble with a resounding crash.

"Hello, Naruto," Minato greeted, only briefly looking up from the mission report on his desk, a ghost of a smirk visible on his face. "What did you do this time?"

"I may or may not have stolen every article of women's undergarments and piled them in the middle of the village," Naruto said with a victorious smirk.

Minato's head shot up at this, "you what?" Minato breathed. "Oh, Naruto... No..."

"What? I implore you to find a shred of evidence that it was me!" Naruto said, affronted by his father's apparent disapproval.

"Which is exactly why you just came crashing through my ceiling." Minato deadpanned.

"It's not my fault I've earned the reputation as the greatest prankster in village history," Naruto grumbled, crossing his arms.

"Naruto..." Minato let out soft sigh. "Take a seat." Naruto did as he was instructed, hopping up and planting himself down atop his father's desk. "That's not what I... Listen, Son. You're the heir to three great clans. You have the elite blood of the Uzumaki, Senju, and the Namikaze pumping through your veins."

Naruto rolled his eyes, he'd heard it all before.

"Naruto, listen!" Minato snapped. "You know your mother and I love you unconditionally, but we are in the middle of a war! Now we turned the other cheek when you started pranking because it was a nice distraction for the people within these walls, but, son, this is starting to get out of hand." Minato then opened a desk drawer, retrieving three scrolls, handing them to his son.

"What are these?" Naruto asked, looking down at the three scrolls in his hands.

"Jutsu scrolls." Minato explained with a warm smile on his face. "I think your efforts would be better utilized towards training. Get started on these. You've already learned chakra control from Souka-chan, right?" He received a confirmation nod from the boy. "Good, but from now on I will be overseeing your training." With a quick hand seal a puff of smoke popped next to him, revealing an exact clone next to him.

"Come with me," the Kage Bushin said. "Your training begins now."

Naruto came stumbling through the door, drenched from head to toe in sweat, mud caked onto every visible inch of him.

"NARUTO!" Kushina shrieked. "Take your shoes off! I just cleaned the floor!"

Too tired to argue, let alone speak, Naruto complied with his mothers demand.

"And take a shower!" Kushina called up after him as he sauntered up the stairs. "I'll have your dinner ready when you're done." she called, albeit measurable more sweetly.

"So how was it?" She asked, turning her attention to her husband.

"He's talented," Minato said, memories flooding back from his now dispelled clone. "Seems he's inherited the legendary Uzumaki stamina," he chuckled.

"Oh?" Kushina chirped, a smile spread across her lips. "I was worried the only thing he got from us were your good looks," she said, leaning down and planting a passionate kiss on Minato's lips.

"Not nearly as good looking as you," Minato said with a smoldering smile, pulling the now blushing Kushina down onto his lap.

"I'm glad you're doing this," Kushina said softly into his ear.

"Me too. The boy really needs it."

"That's not what I meant," Kushina purred, cupping his cheek in her hand and drawing him in for another kiss.

The soft kiss quickly turned rough, Minato pulling Kushina up so she was straddling him.

"Minato," Kushina whispered, "I'm not wearing any panties."

Minato smiled roguishly, "It's about time Naruto's pranks worked out for somebody."

Kushina let out a girlish giggle, reaching down to unbutton Minato's pants, nipping on his earlobe.

"Focus, Naruto!" Minato scolded, looking on as his 8 year old doppelganger attempted to clone his kunai shortly after launching it at a target a short distance away.

"You're like a slave driver!" Naruto grumbled. "We've been out here since YESTERDAY!"

"You know the rules, son. We don't go home until your exercises are complete. Unfortunately for you, you didn't complete yesterday's training until this morning," Minato explained, his proud expression threatening to break his stoic facade. Indeed he had been driving Naruto hard. Minato never expected Naruto to make it this far in just a few short weeks, the Jutsu Naruto was now trying to master was B rank at least. "I'll tell you what. If you master this Jutsu today I will teach you Kage Bushin."

A victorious grin appeared on Naruto's face, "bingo." Naruto launched the kunai, poised to strike dead center on the target before he went through a short string of hand seals. "Shuriken Kage Bushin no Jutsu!" The young blond shouted, one kunai multiplying into fifty, skewering the target and the trees behind it.

"Wh-what?" Minato gasped, wide eyed.

Naruto turned to face his shocked father, "so is that it for today, or are we starting on Kage Bushin right away?"

"N-no. That's it for today," Minato said, still shaken from what he'd just witnessed.

"Good, now I think I've earned myself six or seven bowls of ramen," Naruto said, placing his hands behind his head lazily. "Your treat!"

"Yeah, sure thing Naruto-chan," Minato said, smiling down at his only son. "Kage Bushin no Jutsu," he uttered, his clone promptly vanishing in a swirl of leaves. "Gotta get some work done after all."

"Naruto," Kushina said exhausted. "Meet your little sister."

Naruto reached out to take the tiny redhead from his mother's arms.

"There you go. Make sure you support her head," Kushina said.

"Hey there, Mito-chan," Naruto said soothingly, rocking the baby back and forth gently. "I'm your big brother Naruto."

"You're a natural," Minato said, ruffling his son's hair.

"You don't know this yet, but I'm the most awesome shinobi of all time!" Naruto said, "so you don't have anything to worry about. I'll keep you safe, no matter what!"

"Happy birthday to you!" They all finished singing.

Naruto, now 10 years old blew out the candles on his cake, unintentionally blowing the entire dish into Karin's face, tick marks popping up on her forehead.

"Naruto..." the Uzumaki girl grumbled.

' _He's grown so much in just two years,'_ Kushina thought, bringing out the backup cake she had left on standby. A sad thought drifted into the forefront of her mind, ' _just three more years of this... Then...'_ her thoughts trailed off as she placed the second cake down on the table and began cutting. The village had a strict policy on sending children off to war, thirteen being the age one was considered old enough to venture outside the Uzugakure borders. Normally young shinobi wouldn't be assigned combat missions until the second or third year of their shinobi careers, a luxury, Kushina feared, Naruto would not be granted. The boy was already too damn powerful for his own good.

Naruto's chakra reserves were already as large as an Uzumaki thrice his age, not quite elite in and of itself, yet coupled with his Jutsu repertoire the 10 year old heir was already a force to be reckoned with. For the past two years Minato had drilled young Naruto every day, training progressively becoming more and more difficult. Yet Naruto never ceased to amaze.

' _Maybe he is the child of prophecy...'_ a thought that frequently crossed Kushina's mind.

"Okay, everyone get together," Minato said, creating a shadow clone to take the photo while he took his place next to Kushina behind Naruto. Naruto hopped up no retrieve little Mito from a white haired Namikaze woman, then scurrying back to his seat, baby in hand.

"Everyone smile, one, two, three!" Clone Minato said, snapping the photo.

Minato placed his hand on Naruto's shoulder leaning close to his ear to whisper, "enjoy it while it lasts, hot shot. We're still training tonight."

Naruto cringed, knowing his father was deadly serious. Although Minato was as strict a teacher as one could ask for Naruto loved his father dearly. The young blond knew that the older Namikaze worked himself ragged, taking time from his already busy schedule to train him, having to double down in the office.

"Okay! Now presents!" Minato said joyfully, removing a sealing scroll from his sleeve and retrieving Mito from him. "Here ya go, son!"

Naruto smiled, eagerly unrolling the scroll only to find a complex seal. "What's this?" Naruto asked.

"That," Minato said, his smile widening, "is a summoning scroll."

Everyone's eyes widened in surprise.

"Minato, are you sure about this?" Kushina asked, knowing full well what the summoning contract was for.

"Absolutely, Kushina-chan. He's ready." Minato said, looking at his dumbfounded son with pride and gently bouncing his slumbering daughter up and down.

Kushina didn't doubt her son was ready for this, yet she felt a tug at her heart watching her once mischievous little boy grow up.

Still wide eyed another gift was placed in front of the young heir. "This one is from me, Naru-chan," Kushina smiled. "It's no summoning contract, but I hope you like it."

Naruto tore at the wrapping paper excitedly. "Woah!" Naruto exclaimed. Within the box was a set of shinobi clothes. A pair of black shinobi sandals, black cargo pants, a mesh armor undershirt, and black fingerless gloves, but what really caught his attention was the white fur collar sewn onto the loose sleeved burnt orange shirt with the Namikaze crest on one shoulder and the Senju crest on the other, all neatly folded atop of a black flack jacket with the Uzumaki crest emblazoned on the back. "I love it!" He nearly shouted, shooting up from his seat and wrapping his mother in a bone crushing hug.

The guests gathered closer to take a look at the attire for themselves.

"Naruto-kun," Karin said, immediately catching Naruto's attention. Karin never referred to him as 'kun'. "I got you something too," she said, holding out a small parcel.

Naruto took the package from his friend with a thank you, opening it, revealing a handsome leather bound notebook with the Uzumaki crest stamped on the cover and a brush with familiar seals carved into it.

"The seals are activated by chakra," Karin explained. "Just infuse a small amount of chakra into the brush and the seals will transmute it to ink."

"Thank you, Karin-chan!" Naruto said, giving her a bright smile.

"I was thinking you could use it when you started fuinjutsu training," Karin said. "After all, you're going to need all the practice you can get if you ever want to catch up to me!" she said proudly. True that Naruto was a true prodigy when it came to ninjutsu, as well as having insane chakra reserves along with enormous strength and lightning speed, but there were a few areas in which he could not touch her in. Fuinjutsu, medical ninjutsu, and her sensor abilities were her forte, albeit Naruto's sensory abilities were only slightly inferior to her own.

"Oh yeah!" Naruto said, rising to the taunt. "Just you wait, Karin-chan! I'm going to master fuinjutsu and become the greatest seal master the Uzumaki have ever seen!" A bold statement indeed, considering the Uzumaki's long standing tradition of providing extraordinarily powerful seal masters.

"Actually," Kushina interrupted, not allowing the argument to escalate, at least not in her house. "I was planning on beginning your fuinjutsu training soon anyways."

"Hah! You hear that Karin-chan! I'm going to learn fuinjutsu from Kaa-chan! Suck it!"

Kushina quickly punched Naruto on top of his head, "NARUTO! DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO A WOMAN THAT WAY!" she scolded, her hair standing on end. "Besides, Karin-chan is going to be your sister student."

"What?" Naruto asked, rubbing the bump swelling up on his head.

"Karin-chan came to me a few days ago and asked if I would be her fuinjutsu teacher and I thought it was a good idea." Kushina stepped forward and placed her hands atop Naruto and Karin's heads. "Just call me Sensei!"

"This is hard," Naruto said, dumbfounded.

"Baka!" Karin chided.

"What was that?" Naruto shot back. "I couldn't hear you way back there on my coattail!"

"What did you just say!?" Karin took a page out of Kushina's playbook, her hair inexplicably standing on end.

"I said-OOF!"

' _Hell hath no fury like a woman's scorn...'_ Naruto thought, doubled over, clutching his manhood.

"How are we coming along?" Kushina asked, ignoring Naruto's fetal position. ' _He probably had it coming.'_

"I don't get it. My head hurts." Naruto groaned from the floor. "My balls hurt." He added under his breath.

It's just a storage seal, Naru-baka," Karin scolded. "This is literally the simplest seal there is!"

"Oh, I'm so sorry, I didn't realize it was so simple. Oh please Karin-sama, please tell me more about how inadequate I am," Naruto said, words drenched in sarcasm.

A tick mark popped up on Karin's forehead. "Well it's true! You've been stuck on this seal for weeks now and Kushina-chan wont teach us anything else until you get it right! How the hell can't you just draw the damn thing? It's right in front of you! I never thought I'd have to tell the prodigy Uzumaki-Senju-Namikaze heir to get out of my way and stop holding me back."

"Now now Karin, don't be so hard on Naru-chan, he's finally encountered something he can't just pump chakra into and succeed." Kushina lectured, moving over to take a look at the sloppy lines that made up Naruto's latest failed seal. Kushina paused to think about it for a moment, ' _this is even worse than his initial attempts.'_

"It's because he's frustrated," Karin said, thoughtfully. "The prodigy heir just doesn't have the level head required for such a precise art form," she added with a smug smirk.

"You're one to talk," Naruto muttered only to receive a foot to his balls, crumbling to his knees. ' _Bitch!'_

"Naruto, are you using this?" Kushina asked, holding up the brush gifted to him by Karin, only to receive a nod from the writhing blond. "Naruto... I don't think that you have the chakra control to use this yet. You see these blotches? You need a steady stream of chakra to properly utilize this," she explained. "Karin already has phenomenal chakra control, being adept at medical ninjutsu already so she has no problem using one of these, but I'm afraid you'll have to use a regular brush and ink for the time being?"

Naruto slowly rose to his feet, his blue eyes fixated on the floor. "I'm sorry Karin-chan. You put so much thought into this gift and I can't even use it yet."

Karin looked at the disappointment etched on her friends face, "it's okay Naruto-kun. It's not your fault your chakra control is so bad." Karin was quick to correct herself as Naruto looked insulted. "I mean, you have so much chakra! Letting it out slowly and steadily flow out is like trying to let a single drop of water through a river each second. You'll get better with practice! Now just use the damn regular brush and let's move on!"

"No."

"No?"

"No."

"I heard you the first time, Baka! What do you mean no?!" Karin shouted.

"I mean, that's my fuinjutsu brush! It was gifted to me by a precious friend, and I refuse to throw that away, even for a second!" Naruto shouted back, receiving a look of surprise from the Uzumaki kunoichi.

Kushina smiled at her son, proud of his commitment to his friend. "So be it," she pulled out a kunai and began carving into the brush.

"WH-WHAT! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? STOP!" Naruto shouted frantically.

"Relax, Naru-chan," Kushina said calmly, fast at work. "I'm carving out a chakra regulating seal. It'll help regulate your chakra influx and prevent the uneven chakra flow you've been having trouble with," she explained. "In fact, your chakra reserves are probably going to start growing exponentially once you start going on missions. I doubt your chakra control will ever be able to catch up to match your reserves. This is probably the only way you'll ever be able to use this for fuinjutsu. Try it now."

Naruto took the brush from his mother suspiciously, infusing chakra into the wooden handle. With a series of careful yet fluid brush strokes a near perfect storage seal was drawn on the sheet on the table. Performing a hand seal, Naruto sealed a kunai within the paper.

Later an elated Naruto walked strutted his way down the main street of Uzugakure with Karin keeping pace by his side. Karin had mixed feelings about their earlier training session; on one hand she was happy for her friend, yet at the same time he didn't have to be so smug about it. She was touched by his words though. Naruto was proving to be a fiercely loyal friend.

"Don't you find it strange?" Naruto asked, a contemplative look on his face.

"Find what strange?"

"That there are never any new faces," Naruto said. "All the faces we see, everyone we know, we've known our entire lives. Then they're gone."

Karin looked around, studying the faces of the shop keeps and the other pedestrians. It was true, while Uzugakure was a fairly large village, although she had nothing to compare it to, the Uzumaki girl recognized each and every face. "I've never thought of it before."

"And if we saw someone new we would probably kill them on the spot." Naruto thought out loud.

"That's pretty dark, Naruto-kun," Karin stated.

"Tell me it's not true. Well we would at least capture them and send them to the interrogators to be tortured for information," Naruto said as if it were the simplest of facts.

"What are you getting at?" Karin asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

"I guess I'm not really saying anything... It's just strange, you know?" Naruto said. "Like why were the Namikaze allowed to join the village but not others?"

"Because it was beneficial to Uzugakure, of course," Karin said, stopping in the street and looking questioningly at her blond friend. "The Namikaze is a powerful clan, renown for their unmatched speed, coupled with the Uzumaki's strong chakra and fuinjutsu, as well as the raw Senju talent Uzugakure was sure to become a world superpower thanks to the alliance. The alliance being cemented with the marriage of Kushina-sama and Minato-sama."

"But why nobody else? We enjoy relative peace within our borders. Surely we could accommodate others!" Naruto argued.

"Naruto," Karin started, dropping the 'kun'. "Enemies of Uzu are everywhere. After the Uchiha, we have more enemies than anyone else, and we don't hold other clans and villages in a stranglehold the same way they do. We can't afford to be overly trusting."

"I know that..." Naruto relented. "I've just been thinking though... I'm tired of losing my clansmen to this endless war... I don't want this war to last forever, and it's almost our turn to try to do something about it like our forefathers before us."

"Naruto... Your kindness is endearing but it'll betray you one day," Karin warned, her voice more hoarse and ominous than usual.

"You two have been doing great so far!" Kushina said, smiling brightly at her students. Over the past two years the now pre-teens have made extraordinary strides in their fuinjutsu training. "The way I see it you're both about as adept as any non-Uzumaki seal master!"

"Hear that Karin?" Naruto said with a foxy grin, "I'm as good as any non-Uzumaki seal master!"

"She said both of us," Karin deadpanned.

"That being said," Kushina quickly interjected. "You both still have a long way to go before you can compare to the Uzumaki fuinjutsu masters." Looking at the confounded expressions on her students faces she continued. "What sets us apart from the rest is our understanding of seal theory."

"Seal theory?" they both asked.

"I'm glad you asked!" Kushina chirped. "Most people know about the standard storage seals, and even more complex seals such as barrier seals and even the curse mark. Even though many of these seals were made by non-Uzumaki seal masters most of them were made either accidentally or through rudimentary knowledge of seal theory."

"So you're saying you're going to teach us how to create our own seals?" Naruto asked, confusion still on his face.

"I'm going to teach you how to become a true Uzumaki seal master!"

"... Okay... Like now? OW!" Naruto yelped rubbing the knot on his head, courtesy of Karin.

"Dammit Naruto! Just listen!" Karin scolded.

"Thank you, Karin. Now, seals are broken into six different sub categories. First is enhancement, second transmutation, third emission, fourth manipulation, and fifth conjuration," Kushina explained, drawing a star shaped diagram with the respective kanji drawn on each point of the star. "As you can see, some categories are directly adjacent to others while separated from others."

"What about the-" Naruto quickly cut himself off as he saw Karin's fist cock back.

"The configuration of these categories are directly related to how strong the combination will be. For example, an enhancement seal used to boost the power of a jutsu coupled with a transmutation seal which changes the chakra nature of a jutsu will be plenty powerful; but if you used the same enhancement seal coupled with a conjuration seal to conjure an extra powerful ninja tool or golem will result in a relatively weak summon." Kushina explained.

"Can you only combine two categories?" Karin asked, gears already turning in her head.

"You can combine as many seal categories as you want, but you have to keep in mind the weakening effect different categories may have on each other." Kushina gave a slight smile at the curious look on Karin's face, then frowning at the steam billowing out of Naruto's ears.

"So if I were to use an enhancement seal and a conjuration seal together could I add a transmutation seal to the mix and counteract the weakening effect?" Karin asked smartly.

"Exactly!" Kushina said, pride radiating from her eyes. "But, you have to make the transmutation seal the root seal in the equation, building the enhancement seal and the conjuration seal around it."

"I'm lost." Naruto groaned, holding his head to soothe the oncoming headache.

"Baka." Karin snapped.

"Let's get started!" Kushina looked at her son with a warm smile, "Naruto, your father told me you learn best through practice, so let's get to it."

"I would be honored, Minato-sama, Kushina-sama," said a tall lanky man with straight red hair, bangs long enough to nearly cover his eyes.

"Nagato-san, please don't treat him any different than any other subordinate just because of his lineage," Minato said, though he knew the words didn't truly need to be said.

"I would never think of such a thing," Nagato responded in an even tone.

"Very well. Send Naruto in," Minato ordered his hidden bodyguard.

"Minato-sama," a thirteen year old Naruto greeted in an even, professional tone.

' _He truly has grown,'_ Minato thought, eyes fixated on the spitting image of himself. The younger blond wore the same attire gifted to him on his tenth birthday, however he now wore a large scroll attached to the small of his back and a gleaming new hitai-ate adorned with the Uzumaki crest hanging on the left side of his hip. "Naruto-kun, as you are now thirteen you are old enough to join Uzumaki's shinobi force. As Nagato-san's team is down a member after the unfortunate death of Souka-chan," a brief look of sorrow flashed across everyone's visage. "I am officially assigning you to team Nagato."

XXX END CHAPTER 1 XXX

I didn't want to spend too much time on the early years of Naruto's life so I kind of rushed through it. I hope it didn't seem like the first two chapters didn't seem too rushed, but I really just wanted to set up the world so we can get to the meat of the story.

Anyways... I'm not a Sasuke fan, I don't have anything against him, I just think he's kind of a douche. That being said, the next chapter will focus on his early years and the culture surrounding the Uchiha clan. Sorry if you're an Uchiha fan, but they're kind of dicks in this story with a few good apples here and there.

Yup! So let me know what you think, or don't, don't really care. Peace.


	3. Chapter 2

I don't own shit.

XXX CHAPTER 2 XXX

The raven haired youth sat in a dark room, only a clothing drawer and sleeping mat served as decor. Soft whimpers could be heard echoing off the thin paper walls as the boy dabbed ointment on the blisters on his lips and cheeks.

"Sasuke?" The voice of an older male rang out, the thin paper door sliding open.

"Itachi-san!" Sasuke said, forcing back the hitch in his voice. "Wh-what do you want?"

"For the hundredth time, 'Itachi-nii' is fine," Itachi said, sitting down opposite his younger brother. "You okay? Kaa-san said you had a rough day."

Sasuke replied with a curt nod.

"I know it can be difficult, especially since you just started your training."

"That's easy for you to say, you mastered Goukakyuu no Jutsu your first try," Sasuke mumbled.

"That's true, but you know, there are plenty of things Tou-san would like to change about me," Itachi said, taking the ointment from his brothers hands and began dabbing the healing lotion on the burn wounds.

"Like what?" Sasuke winced at the sting of the medicine.

"Well, first off, he thinks I'm far too kind," Itachi explained. "And second, I haven't unlocked my Sharingan yet."

Sasuke looked up at Itachi wide eyed. "You haven't?" he received a shake of the head from Itachi. "But you're the strongest shinobi our clan has seen in over a century!"

"So far. But Tou-san says my talent is wasted on me without a powerful Sharingan." Itachi's dark eyes fixated on the ground. "He may see fit to force them to awaken soon."

Sasuke let out a gasp. It was well known that if an Uchiha hadn't awakened the Sharingan by the age of ten they would be forced open by witnessing the death of a loved one.

Itachi nodded, allowing silence to engulf the room as the two Uchiha boys mulled over their shared hell.

"Sasuke," a middle aged man with a stern, if not cruel expression called out. "With me."

"Y-yes Tou-sama!" Sasuke quickly responded, scurrying off to his father's side. Sasuke followed his father several paces behind, both walking in silence.

"How is your shuriken jutsu coming along?" Fugaku asked cooly.

"I am doing well so far, Tou-sama," Sasuke responded.

"Don't lie to me, boy," Fugaku snapped, eyes set straight ahead. "I saw the training field. Your aim is sloppy on single targets. You hit the outer ring more often than not. And you miss on multiple targets just as often as you hit the target. You haven't even started on the actual shuriken jutsu yet. What you're doing is little more than target practice!"

"Y-yes, Tou-sama," Sasuke responded.

"And stop with that stutter when you speak to me!" This time Fugaku turned to regard his youngest son. "An Uchiha does not stutter."

"Yes, Tou-sama," Sasuke said, mustering up as much confidence as he could manage.

Sasuke followed his father through the village, realizing what was to come as he saw the looks on the other Uchiha's faces. ' _So today is the day. Father chose me.'_

They reached the executioner's block, Itachi being held down by two Uchiha enforcers.

"Tou-san! STOP THIS! I SWEAR TO KAMI IF YOU LAY A FINGER ON HIM I WILL FUCKING MURDER YOU!" Spit flew from Itachi's mouth as he tried to rip himself free of his captors grasp, only to be gagged by a third enforcer.

"You both determined Sasuke's fate by being weak." Fugaku said coldly. "The fact that the two of you are my son's sickens me. Now Itachi, look on as you witness the results of your failure.

Sasuke stood still as stone, shocked at what was happening. What was happening? Was he going to die? Killed by his own father?

"Itachi, you are too strong to be the one to die here today." Fugaku removed a single kunai from his hip pouch. "Sasuke, you will finally become strong though your brothers newfound vision." With that Fugaku let the kunai sail, directed between Sasuke's eyes.

"SASUKE!" Itachi wailed, freeing himself of the gag, crimson orbs with two tomoe spinning wildly in his sockets.

Blood splattered with a sickening squelch.

Sasuke stood with a kunai embedded in his palm, eyes identical to Itachi's, murderous intent and all, burning into his father's onyx orbs.

In an instant Sasuke and Itachi were both found on the ground at Fugaku's feet, both coughing up blood. In the instant prior Sasuke ripped the kunai from his palm and charged his father, intent to kill the man. Itachi broke free of his captors, breaking one's jaw, and charging Fugaku's left flank.

"Sasuke. For the first time since your birth, I am proud of you," Fugaku said. "Itachi, don't disappoint me again." The Uchiha man turned and walked away from his defeated sons, uncaring of their current state.

Sasuke watched as prisoners marched through the village in chains. A year ago the seven year old would have had some semblance of sympathy for the newly conquered people, but that was before his father tried to kill him. On that day Sasuke lost that part of himself. All he cared about now was power. Power was the way to escape suffering.

The Uchiha boy turned and stalked away as the prisoners marched on towards the work camp. Sasuke was completely oblivious to the pair of bright green eyes glued to his back.

Sasuke walked through the village to his prefered training ground, avoiding eye contact with the other villagers. The Uchiha all looked at him with disdain. The Uchiha were all the same, save for three: Itachi, Shisui, and Obito. They only cared for power, always trying to figure out a way to maneuver up the hierarchy. Sasuke and Itachi were the main obstacles in the way of everyone's aspirations to the top. The non-Uchiha gazes were worse. In their eyes all he saw in lieu of hate was awe, or worse yet fear.

For decades now the Uchiha have turned into nothing less than an imperialist regime. And a furrocious one at that. It started in the end of Madara's rule. The Uchiha would stage conquests into foreign lands, raping the lands and enslaving the people; wiping their clans, culture, and overall existence off the face of the earth. Whether it be shinobi clans or civilian villages, the Uchiha made it clear that there were two options: surrender and submit to Uchiha rule, only to exist as servants to the mighty Uchiha clan, or die. After Madara's death the Uchiha did no slow their conquest, instead venturing in other directions. Now only a few, other than the Uzumaki and the Senju, continued to elude the Uchiha's grasp.

The non-Uchiha inhabitants who were allowed to roam free were mostly civilians of conquered villages who possessed a skill of some sort.

All of that was inconsequential to Sasuke. He needed to train. His Katon jutsu were as powerful as any but the elite Uchiha or the Sarutobi Clan, and he had recently unlocked the final stage of his Sharingan. All of this and he still lived in the shadow of Itachi.

Praise meant little to Sasuke. He could care less what others had to say, least of all his father, but being weak infuriated him. Since that day a year ago Itachi hadn't shown an ounce of weakness. For a brief moment when they laid on the ground coughing up blood Sasuke thought he may have overcome his weakness, only to be proven wrong when Itachi's power increased exponentially. If ultimate power meant ultimate happiness, Sasuke has a long way to go.

Sasuke walked into the shinobi goods store, clothing in tatters.

"Oh, good morning Sasuke-san. What can I do for you?" The shopkeeper greeted.

"Hn," Sasuke responded to the civilian, making his way down the clothing isle. He riffled through the clothes searching for something that suited him. He soon came across a simple, dark grey shirt with the classic high Uchiha collar and Uchiha crest on the back. He grabbed three sets of the same shirt and three sets of simple black capri pants. On his way to the register he also picked up a pair of shinobi sandals, binding tape, and a three kunai pouches, two for the hip and one for his left thigh.

"Will that be all?" The shopkeeper asked.

"Let me see that tanto," Sasuke said, pointing at the 24 inch straight blade in the display case.

"Here you go," the shopkeeper said, handing the young Uchiha the blade. "If you don't mind me saying, this might be more to your liking." the shopkeeper flinched at Sasuke's heated glare. "I-I just meant that this chokuto gives you more range but is still lighter and more versatile than your standard katana."

"Let me see," Sasuke demanded, taking the sword from the shopkeepers hands. It's a little long for me," Sasuke said, scrutinizing the blade.

"Yes, Sasuke-san, but you will grow into it in no time," the shopkeeper encouraged.

Sasuke narrowed his eyes, his gaze fixated on the man. ' _What's his angle? Why wouldn't he just sell me the weapon I asked for in the first place? No Uchiha would do something to help me become stronger, let alone a non-Uchiha like him. He should hate me, but he's trying to help me.'_

"What seems to be the problem?" the man asked with a slight smile.

"Why are you trying to help me?" Sasuke asked, glaring daggers at the man. Sasuke had lived long enough to know that good things didn't come without a catch.

"What do you mean, Sasuke-san?"

"I mean you have no reason to help me, so why don't you just sell me what I asked for?"

"Because you remind me of someone..." The man said, expression growing somber. "My son... he died not too long ago. He had the same look in his eyes. We were exiled from our homeland and forced into servitude for the Uchiha."

"And now you want to help the Uchiha?" Sasuke asked skeptically.

"No. I want to help _an_ Uchiha." the shopkeeper specified. "I know your brother. He's not like the rest of your clan, and I can see some of that kindness in you, although it's buried deep. You will become strong Sasuke-san, you have the potential to do much good. Just as my son could have."

Sasuke paused for a moment. "Fine. I'll take it." Sasuke said pulling out his coin purse.

"No need for that, Sasuke-san. This one is on the house." The shopkeeper said with a warm smile.

"Hn," Sasuke grunted in some likeness to thanks. Sasuke walked to the dore, pausing at the doorway to turn around slightly, "I'm sorry about your son." Sasuke said before exiting the shop.

Scorch marks littered the training ground along with shuriken and kunai, deep gashes carved into the surrounding trees. Sasuke stood amid the wreckage chokuto in hand, sparks arcing from the blade.

"Sasuke! To me!" Fugaku called out from the edge of the training area. Sasuke had noticed him watching for the past half hour, face stoic and unchanging.

Sasuke appeared in a blur before his father.

"You will be training with me from now on." Fugaku stated matter of factly.

"Hn," Sasuke responded before receiving a heavy blow to the jaw, sending him flying into a nearby tree.

"Lesson number one. Show your clan head some goddamn respect." Fugaku said, slowly advancing on the stunned Sasuke. "Lesson number two," a foot came flying into Sasuke's rib cage, "dodge!"

Sasuke flew into the air, coughing up blood only to be on the receiving end of a heavy foot to the small of his back.

Sasuke barely caught himself in time to spring back and seek cover behind a tree.

"I see you've been practicing raiton," Fugaku said. "Where did you get the scroll to learn such jutsu?"

Sasuke bit his lip knowing this wasn't about training at all. The Uchiha did not teach raiton or any chakra nature other than katon unless expressly permitted by the clan head, permission which Sasuke hadn't been granted. His training was a breach in protocol, a breach which apparently would not be tolerated.

Sasuke leapt to the side to dodge a chakra coated kunai aimed at his chest, activating his sharingan. Sasuke barely dodged a kick to the head as Fugaku quickly advanced to attack.

"You're just now activating your sharingan," Fugaku growled. "Such sloppy technique and you think you can go behind my back and learn raiton!" Fugaku landed a knee to Sasuke's stomach, knocking the wind out of the raven haired boy, then grabbing him by the shoulders and glaring into his eyes. Sharingan met sharingan before Sasuke drove the crown of his head forward into his father's nose.

Sasuke leapt back from his temporarily stunned father and ran through some hand seals only for his wrist to be caught in an iron grip before he could complete the set of raiton seals.

"You strike me and then insult me?" Fugaku growled menacingly, tightening his grip until a series of cracks were heard from Sasuke's wrist.

Sasuke grunted in pain, attempting to wrestle himself free. "Let go of me!"

"You have no right to make demands of me!" Fugaku growled. Removing a kunai from his hip pouch. "You will obey me!" Fugaku roared, the tomoe in his eyes spinning wildly, growing until they met his pupil, a black circle appearing next to each tomoe.

Sasuke's eyes went wide before his expression quickly turned blank, sharingan fading to onyx orbs.

"You will become the perfect Uchiha. You will obey my every demand. You will do only what I order you to do. You will grow strong the way I permit it, and you will NOT insult me again!" Fugaku ordered.

"Yes, Fugaku-sama," Sasuke said in a zombified tone before Fugaku released his grip, leaving Sasuke standing straight up, awaiting his next demand.

"Go home. You will meet me here for training tomorrow at dawn." Fugaku ordered.

"Yes, Fugaku-sama," Sasuke responded.

"Sasuke, are you in there?" Itachi asked, sliding open the paper door to his brothers room. "I just got back from my mission and I wanted to talk to you." Itachi walked in to see Sasuke sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, face to the window but eyes not focussed. "Sasuke? What's wrong?"

Sasuke did not respond.

"Nii-chan," Itachi said, placing his hand on his brothers shoulder.

Nothing.

"Sasuke, answer me," Itachi demanded.

Nothing.

Itachi looked his brother up and down, noticing his wrist was swollen to twice its normal size. The elder brother's expression grew murderous as he put the pieces together as to what had happened.

"What do you want," Fugaku asked, his eldest son knelt before him.

"What did you do to Sasuke?" Itachi demanded.

"I put him under a genjutsu," Fugaku said simply. "He will become the Uchiha I could never turn you into."

"What do you mean?" Itachi asked.

"You think I don't know that you've unlocked the Mangekyou Sharingan." Fugaku said, a statement rather than a question. "I have to admit, I am impressed. It has only been four years since that day I forced your sharingan to awaken and you've already unlocked the Mangekyou."

"You knew?" Itachi asked in shock.

"Yes. I knew the day it happened." Fugaku explained. "You know, with each stage of the sharingan's progression an Uchiha's chakra quickly adapts to adjust to the new power. The chakra becomes colder and exponentially more powerful. When you failed to inform me of your newfound power I knew that I could never trust you to succeed me, luckily I had another option in the form of a second son. That's when I decided to place Sasuke in the genjutsu. Now I can mold him into whatever I want."

"And what's to stop me from killing you and releasing him? I have the same power as you after all." Itachi said, dreading what he knew was the answer.

"First, you do not possess the same Mangekyou ability as I. Aside from the Susanoo, each Mangekyou Sharingan has a specific ability. Granted I do not know what your ability is, I do know that no two eyes hold the same power." Fugaku said, stoic expression curling into a cruel smirk. "And second, the genjutsu I placed Sasuke under can only be broken one of two ways: either I release him myself, which I will not, or he unlocks his own Mangekyou Sharingan, by which time my genjutsu will have already molded his mind to my liking. Even as we speak his mind is being twisted to my liking."

"You bastard," Itachi growled, his mangekyou sharingan spinning in his sockets. "I should kill you for this!"

"Do as you like. It doesn't matter to me." Fugaku said, his own mangekyou sharingan spinning, though the once sharp edges now dull and blurred. "I have all but lost my light. The genjutsu I placed on Sasuke is a costly one, and likely the last genjutsu I will ever cast. I've said it before, an Uchiha without a Sharingan is as worthless as any other shinobi. Kill me if you like, through Sasuke I have ensured the continuation of Madara's will."

" _Amaterasu,"_ Itachi uttered, black flames engulfing the clan head.

An unfortunate result of Fugaku's death was that Sasuke could no longer receive orders from his late father. Sasuke simply sat, day and night, in his room staring blankly out the window.

Pain. Loneliness. Isolation. Torment. Sasuke's mind swirled through hell. Each and every waking moment of his existence. His body should have withered, but he continued to grow. Chakra growing stronger. Body growing as he aged. He didn't move, but the chakra nourished his muscled. The chakra from his eyes. He could not see. Only a sea of black. Voices echoed in his mind. Power. Absolute power. That was the answer. Weakness should be wiped off the face of the earth. Only the strongest should be left.

Through pain comes strength. Only torment can mold the strong. The weak didn't deserve to live. They should just die. ' _I must attain power!'_ was the thought Sasuke kept circling back to. ' _I will purge the earth from the weak.'_

Blank, black stare snapped into focus, now with three intersecting scarlet ellipses.

XXX END CHAPTER 2 XXX

Short chapter, I know. I just wanted to outline how big of ass holes the Uchiha have become, especially their leadership. Itachi is now the clan head so hopefully things will get a little better, we'll see how well he succeeds.

Anyways, as always, review, or don't, don't care. peace


End file.
